The present invention relates to the field of mechanical devices and more particularly to devices that provide incremental translation.
Recent advances in biotechnology have made a seemingly limitless number of new substances available for study. Combinatorial chemistry has generated millions of compounds, some of which may prove to be life-saving drugs. The Human Genome Project and the Human Proteome Project both promise to yield hundreds of thousands of previously unknown sequences and proteins that may lead to the development of new therapies for diseases. But the availability of these substances is not enough: they must be screened for usefulness. Their overwhelming number makes screening a daunting task.
One solution is to transfer small samples of the substances onto a surface, such a microscope slide. Over ten thousand substances can be fixed on a single slide by making discrete spots of the samples in a dense grid-like pattern. The result is a xe2x80x9cmicroarrayxe2x80x9d where all the spots can be tested simultaneously for usefulness while on the slide. If a particular spot looks promising, the substance can be identified by its position on the slide and tested further.
Machines for making microarrays can be enormously expensive, limiting their availability to researchers. The machines can also require complex automation to spot the slides accurately and at such high densities. Accordingly, there is a need for a device that can make microarrays, but is not prohibitively expensive and does not require extensive automation. This invention satisfies these needs and provides related advantages as well.
The present invention provides a device that can provide translation in multiple directions in fixed increments. The device has a base plate, a first plate and a second plate. The first plate is slidable relative to the base plate in a first direction, and the second plate is slidable relative to the first plate in a second direction. The device also has means for translating the plates in individual increments.
An example of a translating means is a first set of holes in one of the plates and a second set of holes in another of the plates. When measured in the direction of translation, the centers of the first set of holes are spaced apart by a first spacing, and the centers of the second set of holes are spaced apart by a second spacing. The spacing of the holes is predetermined so that the difference between the first spacing and the second spacing, when measured in the direction of translation, is equal to the individual increment. Incremental translation can then be achieved by inserting an optional pin or other implement into the holes sequentially.
When the device includes a separate applicator with pins that can deliver a specimen to a surface, such as a slide, the device can be used to make microarrays. The method involves placing a specimen-receiving surface in the device; applying various solutions to specimen-delivering pins of the applicator; and transferring samples of the solutions to the specimen-receiving surface. The transfer can be repeated several times in one direction, translating each time by an increment, to create a row. Several rows each are then repeated incrementally in a second direction to create a column and subsequently obtain a microarray.